Water Can't Hurt You
by TheHttydRaven
Summary: Tony. the strong member of the avengers. Not known for showing emption. He's known for being fearless. But is he really..? When the team decides to have a pool party, things go wrong, and the team realizes their strong teammate may not be as strong and emotionless as he seems. Will they help him overcome his troubling past? Rated T cause i'm making sure! Mentions of PTSD! -Raven


**AN- *Is seen standing by a door* Hello! So, while my muse was in Canada on vacation, i had no inspiration for my other stories, and just haven't really felt good about them, so i decided to write another fanfic, this one about the AVENGERS, or more specifically Iron man. So, a brief backstory on this; I've looked around, and there aren't that many good fanfictions about the aftermath of Tonys' visit to Afghanistan, and i mean, there would be a very high chance of Tony having PTSD, Paranoia, and or Anxiety. So i decided to write a fanfic for it! It's gonna be the worst one out there, but here we go! (Sorry for the long Author note. I Hope you didn't skip it. I'd really feel better about these stories if you gave feedback, even criticism. Anyways, lets go!)**

 **Oh, quick thing, I've decided to post how many pages it was in Wordpad it was, so you can see really how long it was compared to how shows it. My word size is 11, and yeah. ON WITH THE SHOW! *Runs out door* I gotta go hunt down my muse!**

Nobodys' POV-

Tony didn't fear water. Not really at the least. He could stand in showers, rain, he could drink it. It was fine. But there was one thing that set him off. Not having control, not being able to get up out of the water, being forced under, that's what terrified him. The drowning feeling, the inability to get up or save himself, the helplessness. That was terrifying.

Tony never let his team know about his phobia. Anyways, only a few, Such as Natasha, Clint, maybe Bruce, knew about his little 'trip' to Afghanistan. Tony couldn't deal with it if they knew, the pity, the sorrow, that would be in their eyes. Tony, the iron man, the brave one, he couldn't let his walls, his shield of comfort crash down around him. Tony didn't need their pity. He had handled his phobia until now, keeping out of pools and such. He'd even gone to the extent of making his suit water proof as he felt safer anyways in the suit, and he could just wait until people found him then.

So Tony took it all in good stride when his team suggested a pool party.

Tonys' POV-

Tony groaned as JARVIS spoke in his ear.

"Suit functionality is at 13%"  
"Aww man. This mission really hit us hard. Ok JARVIS, deactivate the armor and set about repairing it."

"Ok Sir. I am looking into the stats now."  
"How long will it take?"  
"Estimated eleven hours, sixteen minutes, and thirty six seconds."  
"Okay JARVIS, i'll be down to the lab soon so you can get started."  
"Thank you sir."

Tony looked around at his teamates, who were all gathered around him, relaxing after the fight they had just had. Some idiot group had released a radioactive animal in the middle of Manhattan and the animal was very hard to get rid of considering that it shot fire and ice and had a spiked tail, and had like, inpenetrable armor. Tony had taken a big hit, causing a great damage to his armor. Great.

"Everybody okay?"  
"Yeah, I'm fine Tony, Clint got a minor burn, Natasha's fine, Bruce, Hulk is fine and Thor is okay." Captain looked over the injuries. Pretty good.

"How about you Tony?"

"Ehh I'm fine, the suit functionality is a little damaged, its cool though."  
"How damaged?"  
"Well uh.. It's not too bad."

"Tony... Tell us." Captain deadpanned, staring Tony down.

"Fine. 13%" Tony rolled his eyes, even though they couldn't see it

"13%?! Tony!" the team all yelled out

"What? I'm fine!"  
"Ugh Tony. Go give i tto JARVIS Then get back up here."  
"Fine."

Tony walked over the the elevator, clunking loudly into it. As the doors slid close, he asked JARVIS to send him down to the lab. As the elevator descended, he wondered why Captain had asked him to come back up. Huh, must have something planned. He'd find out later. Tony was jolted from his thoughts as the elevator arrived at the lab. Tony stepped out, and walked over to let the mechanical arms do the work. As his armor was taken off, he looked at himself. Wow. He'd really buffed up since he started being Iron Man. Tony smiled at that, he wasn't weak, he didn't want to be a liability to the team. As the last bit of his armor was taken off, Tony threw on a less sweat-soaked Shirt, and headed upstairs to see what Captain was up to. As the elevator doors opened, he got a sense of suspicion. The entire team was all looking at him, silent, with a puppy dog look on their faces. Except Natasha, because she never would do that.

"Okay spill. What do you want?" Tony sighed, collapsing into a chair.  
"Well, as you all know, we've had a couble difficult missions recently, and haven't really had a break, so we were thinking that we could have a..."

"A what?"  
"A pool party!"  
Tony felt himself freezing up, his eyes widening for a second before he hid back behind his mask. He coaxed his features into a smile, not betraying his doubts about the idea.

"Sure! That's a great idea! Head up to the roof, i'll meet you guys up there!" Tony smiled, thinking of the roof pool that he hadn't used in forever. Or at all? He couldn't remember. As the others rushed to get their swim wear own, Tony slowly plodded to the lab, knowing that he had to get his swim trunks on, or he would get forced to. He could just sit at the edge or something. It would be fine. As he changed, he chatted too JARVIS.

"A pool party sir? If i may, i don't think that would be a good idea.."  
"It'll be fine! I won't get in the water.. i'll sit it out."  
"But what if you have a panic attack? In that scenario do i have permission to explain to them?"  
"Oh god, no! I won't have a panic attack anyways. Stop worrying JARVIS, It'll be fine!" Tony laughed JARVIS' worries off.

"As you wish sir."

Tony finished getting changed, and rode the elevator up to the roof, seeing that the others had already beat him there. Captain was dressed in cliche Red, white, and blue shorts, with stars along the seams. Clint was in light purple shorts, Natasha in a one piece, Black fading to bloodred. Bruce was in dark purple shorts, Thor was in bright gold ones. Tony looked down at his own, a simple Red and gold lining the seams.

The others were already in the pool, laughing and splashing around. Tony smiled at seeing his team so relaxed and happy. Tony walked over to a pool chair, settling down to take a good, relaxing nap. But, before he could even get comfortable, Clint yelled over to him.

"Hey Stark! You gonna come get in here or what?!"  
"Nah, i think i'll stay out. I might get in later."  
"Wow, lame Tony. Whatever though!" Clint said, swimmign over to splash Natasha. Tony closed his eyes and relaxed while Clints yelps of terror echoed as Natasha got her revenge for the splash. Tony smiled peacefully as he fell into the bliss heaven that was sleep.

Nobodys' POV-

As time passed, Clint got an idea, and it involved a unsuspecting sleeping Tony Stark. Clint swam over to Thor, intent on getting a partner for his prank.

"Hey Thor. You know that time Tony hid the pop tarts from you?"  
"Yes, Archer! That was a most horrible time, with out my tarts of pop!"  
"Well, Whanna get revenge?"  
"Yes! I will avenge that week of no pop tarts!"

"Ok so.. You see how Tony is sleeping over there? So, we're going to go over there, and we're gonna drop him in the water, okay? He'll have a great wake up call!" Clint snickered as Thor nodded enthusiastically. Clint called over the others, feelign them in on his plan. They all nodded in agreement, and then went to watch the prank unfold. Clint and Thor climbed out of the pool, heading over to the lawn chair Tony was stretched out on. Clint grabbed his legs, and Thor grabbed his arms. They walked over to the edge of the pool, and began to swing him, beginning to get ready to let go. Tonys eyes jolted open, and he realized what was happening the second Clint and Thor let him go flying towards the water.

"No! No wait! I Can-" Tonys protests were cut off as he sunk below the water. Clint and everyone laughed as Tony thrashed under the water. But after a while they realized he wasn't coming up. Captain dived for Tony, dragging him up to the surface. As Captain dragged him out onto the pool deck, he flinched as one of Tonys flailing hands smacked him, hard across the face. As Captain laid Tony on the hot concrete, Tony began rambling, Eyes jolting wide open, focused on something nobody else could see.  
"Won't build them! Won't build weapons! No! No No No! Yinsen! Yinsen no! I won't let you die! You have to see your family again! You can't just die! YINSEN! I'll... I'll get out Yinsen!"

"Who's Yinsen?" Clint asked, hearing Tony yell out the name in distress.

Natasha thought for a second, then looked horrified.

"Lets get inside i need to ask JARVIS something."  
As they carried Tony inside, and set him on a couch, his ramblings now quiet, they called up on JARVIS.

"JARVIS?"  
"Yes Natasha?"  
"Does Tony have any mental problems or anything?"

"JARVIS?"  
"I Don't have permission to awnser the question. Sorry Natasha."  
"It's ok JARVIS. We'll just have to wait for Tony to wake up." After Natasha finished, they all turned to see in Tony was up. Well he was up. He was also gone. Everyone rushed down to the lab, to see Tony sitting against a corner, frantically twisting a peice of metal in his hands, looking up at them The team walked over and sat in a semi-circle around Tony.

"So.. You know now.."

"Um we're still not sure what happened."  
"I Guess i'll explain. you won't stop pestering me until i don't interupt" Tony sighed, visibly steeling himself for the story. "So... You may know that when i was not iron man yet, i was once kidnapped, by the ten rings, a terrorist group. They wanted me to build them weapons. a missle to be exact. When they attacked the car i was riding in, i tried to escape but with my luck, a bomb landed next to me, and exploded... That's the beginning of how i got.. This." Tony tapped the Arc Reactors blue glow that shown through his drenched shirt.

"When i woke up, i was in a cave. With a hole in my chest and a car battery to go with it." Ignoring the gasps of shock, he went on. "I met Yinsen, the doctor who had put the car battery in me. He was a prisoner too. He saved me from the shrapnel that the bomb had put in my chest. We became friends, and according to him he was supposed to help me with something. That was when the leader burst in, telling me to build a rocket for him. i Refused, and he.. he waterboarded me." Tony drew his knees up to his chest, circling his arms around, drawing them close. The look of shock and pity in their eyes ashamed him. He didn't deserve that. He continued with his story to take his mind of those thoughts. "He tortured me, and i finally agreed to make the weapons. I was lying though. I used the parts to make the mark I, the first iron man armor. Me and Yinsen planned to escape, but the day we planned to do it, everything went wrong. While i was getting on the suit, we ran into some technical problems, and Yinsen held them up for me. But it cost him his life. I Escaped, and Rodhey found me out in the desert, but.. I've always wished Yinsen didn't have to sacrifice his life for me. And that's when i developed.. PTSD. I never got it diagnosed though. And that's my story.." Tony finsished, refusing to lift his head to meet their eyes. Silence met Tonys ears, and then he felt the arms of his team envelope him, in a warm hug. Tony gasped in suprise, then melted into the hug.

"It'll be okay Tony."

"You'll be fine"

"We support you."

"This won't change our opinion of you"

"I'll forgive you for the hiding of the poptarts, Tony"  
Tony smiled as he realized the team wouldn't judge him, and whispered out one word as he drifted into peaceful sleep.

"Thanks..."

The team gently lifted his sleeping body, and tucked him into his bed. They then turned off the light, creeping to their seperate rooms to sleep.

The End!

 **AN- Ok so this may become a collection of oneshots! Leave your Opinions/requests!**

 **Pages- 6**

 **Words- 2,215**

 **Ok Bye! See you next time!**

 **-Raven**


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